I Spent 36 Hours on the Border. This Is What I Saw.

News anchor Stephanie Ruhle reports on what she witnessed in a Texas town that houses the United States' largest immigration processing center.

By
Stephanie Ruhle, as told to Andrea Stanley

Jun 20, 2018

Like so many in the news media, Stephanie Ruhle, an anchor for MSNBC Live and correspondent for NBC News, has spent this week reporting on the crisis along the Texas-Mexico border. On an emotional phone call, she told Cosmopolitan.com about her experience reporting on the unimaginable: parents being separated from their children.

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I found out that I was going to Texas on Monday afternoon at 2 p.m. I had to get on a flight and leave that night. It was so sudden, I didn't even have time to pack any clothes.

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I have to tell you, my heart broke when I got the assignment. I have three kids—my daughter is 5, and my sons are 9 and 12—and they just finished up school. I had a really big week planned for us.

On Monday night, we were supposed to have a sleepover at their nanny's apartment in Queens, New York. We all pile in together on her pull-out couch. She's from Poland, so we order borscht and pierogis. On top of that, my 12-year-old has been away for a week and was feeling homesick, so I promised I would pick him up from the airport that day Love Actually style with a sign.

But instead, I had to call and tell my daughter that there wouldn't be any mermaid sleeping bags for us that night.

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That was hard enough to do as a mom, but then I think about all the girls the same age as my daughter not knowing when they'll ever see their mothers again. It's so hard to think about, I have to fight back the tears.

That's why I went. The story of what is happening on the border is one we have to tell. It's important.

The inhumane treatment of families turned an immigration issue into an immigration crisis.

When I got into town, one of the first things I did was talk to business owners and pastors, to border patrol agents and university students. They all said the same thing—this came out of left field. Before the new policy, there was no onslaught of migrants coming across the border in record numbers and overtaking things. No complaints of immigrants making them feel unsafe or stealing their jobs.

In fact, this town relies on migrant workers. In downtown, almost every storefront has a "Help Wanted" sign, from restaurants to a bakery supply shop. This is also a big shrimping town and the shrimp boats rely on these workers, which is a big reason why immigrants come this time of year.

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The jobs Americans don't want are the ones the migrants fill. McAllen had the feel of a warm, welcoming place, where immigrants were seen as a natural part of life.

It's eerie here, now. The shift seemingly happened overnight. The inhumane treatment of families turned an immigration issue into an immigration crisis. I interviewed a nun who is providing services to families who have been separated–like she was shot out of a cannon, she's become a crisis counselor in the most extreme of ways.

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There are women crossing the border, finding border control agents to turn themselves in so they can begin the process of asylum, only to have their children taken from them with no idea of where they're going or when they'll see them again.

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These women are fleeing very dangerous conditions with the hope of making their way to safety, better schools, and a better life. They come with nothing but a shirt on their back and a baby in their arms—and then that baby is gone. The one and only thing that matters to them.

It's incredibly hard to watch and I do not understand it. I've spoken to other journalists, and this kind of thing doesn't even happen in Syria or other areas with serious refugee issues.

As for the detention center, I've only seen it from the outside, but it's distressing to imagine what's going on inside. Children sleeping on mats. It has the feel of a prison.

They come with nothing but a shirt on their back and a baby in their arms—and then that baby is gone

I talked to my 9-year-old son on the phone, and he told me that since it's summer vacation and the kids aren't in school, I should bring them all home with me. A dark cloud rolled in with this policy, yes, but that's the silver lining—that kind of compassion. From my kids, and from the people on the ground who want a solution. The people here respect the rule of law and they respect the border, but they do not understand the cruel treatment of pulling apart families.

All of us, as humans, as Americans, as people who are lucky enough to be a part of this country's ideals, should care about our neighbors seeking refuge. Let's do better and forget no one.

When I get home to New York City, no matter how late—and I'll need to apologize to my husband beforehand—but there won't be two people in my bed, there will be five. All of my children, my husband, and me. Don't all mothers deserve that?

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